RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN PEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

Introduction
Involved Researchers
Ongoing Research
Recently Published Books or Book Chapters
Recently Published Articles

Our department has developed a research focus in the area of pediatric and perinatal epidemiology, with active, externally funded projects exploring the prevention and management of key chronic health conditions affecting our children and youth. These areas include asthma and allergies, diabetes, obesity, attention deficit disorders, depression and suicidality, and the behaviors such as nutrition and physical activity. Several longitudinal projects focus on the perinatal period and in utero exposures and their relationship to longer-term child health.

Involved Researchers:
Natalie Colabianchi Ph.D.
Wilfried Karmaus MD, Dr.med., MPH
Angela Liese Ph.D.
Jihong Liu Sc.D.
Robert McKeown Ph.D.
Erik Svendsen Ph.D.
Myriam Torres Ph.D.
Edith Williams M.D.

Ongoing Research:
Outdoor Child Physical Activity and Neighborhood Environment - Preliminary Data for Trial of Impact of Safe Playspaces for Children on Child Physical Activity
USC - Research Consortium on Children and Families
Natalie Colabianchi Ph.D. (Co-I)
May 15, 2007 – November 15, 2007
The purpose of this seed grant is to document the feasibility of completing a study to examine the impact of the creation of safe playspaces on the physical activity levels of children. Specifically the goals are to: 1. Demonstrate the ability of the research team to collect descriptive data; 2. Secure support and agreement from Richland One school officials; 3. Identify existing data sources that include data to describe characteristics of neighborhoods that may affect child physical activity and parental perceptions of safety; 4. Conduct a survey of parents of elementary school children to assess their perceptions of neighborhood and school safety and willingness to allow children to participate in the proposed project; 5. Estimate the sample size of schoolyard-neighborhood pairs needed for the effectiveness trial; 6. Demonstrate the capacity of the USC team assembled for this project to work collaboratively.

Disparities in dental health, dental care, and dental insurance coverage among US children.
Jihong Liu Sc.D. (CoI)
USC Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resource Services Administration
September 1, 2006 – August 31, 2007

Longitudinal Study of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Robert McKeown (PI)
CDC
September 1, 2006 – February 28, 2010
The major goal of this project is to investigate long-term outcomes and health status for children with and without ADHD identified and treated in community settings through a systematic follow-up of the subjects who participated in the Project to Learn about ADHD in Youth (South Carolina and Oklahoma).

SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth 2: USC Site
Angela Liese (PI)
CDC / Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) and NIH/NIDDK
September 30, 2005 - September 29, 2010
The purpose of this project is to assess the incidence and natural history of diabetes in youth, the impact of quality of diabetes care in youth on short- and long-term diabetes outcomes, and the development of a validate simple and low-cost case definition and classification of diabetes in youth that can be used for public health surveillance. This project is based on the continuation of the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study. South Carolina is one of six US sites of this multi-center study.

Defining the Built Environment
Natalie Colabianchi Ph.D. (PI)
National Cancer Institute
September 15, 2005 – August 31, 2007
This grant explores the effect of the built environment on food choices and physical activity levels of adolescents living in assisted housing. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods and an innovative mapping exercise, adolescents will be asked to define the boundaries of their neighborhoods and keep a travel diary of the places they travel to throughout a 24 hour period. In addition, factors outside their home environment that influence physical activity levels and food intake will be assessed.

Chernobyl accident and the Narodichi children cohort study
Wilfried Karmaus MD, Dr.med., MPH
The project investigates a variety of health sequel after the Chernobyl accident in the Ukraine. The Narodichi Region is about 40 km away from the Chernobyl reactor site. The research was initiated by Dr. Maryna Naboka (Kyiv, Ukraine) during her study year at USC. The intramural seed funding at USC supported data entry of repeated clinical and laboratory exams conducted between 1993 and 1998 of approximately 1,400 children (Narodichi Children Cohort). The data facilitates the study of pre- and postnatal radiation effects after the Chernobyl accident on the children’s development. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Yevgenia Stepanova, Dr. Vitaliy Vdovenko (Department of Radiation Paediatrics, Academy Medicine of Sciences, Kyiv), Dr. Maryna Naboka (Research Center Radiation Medicine, Academy Medicine of Sciences) and Drs. Tim Mousseau (School of the Environment) and Dr. Erik Svendsen. Graduate students are welcome to support the analyses of this large data-set.

Recently Published Books or Book Chapters:
Hannum, E. and J. Liu. 2005. Adolescent Transitions to Adulthood in Reform-Era China. In: The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries: Selected Studies. JR Behman, CB Lloyd, NP Stromquist, and B Cohen (Eds.), Washington, DD: The National Academies Press, Chapter 9, 270-319.

recently published articles:
Liu, J., K.D. Rosenberg, and A.P. Sandoval. 2006. Breastfeeding Duration and Perinatal Cigarette Smoking in a Population-based Cohort. American Journal of Public Health. 96(2), 309-314.

Liu, J., J.C., Probst, A.B. Martin, J.Y. Wang and C.F. Salinas. 2006. Disparities in dental insurance coverage and dental care among US children, the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health. Pediatrics, 119, Suppl 1: S12-21.

Colabianchi, N, Ievers-Landis, CE, Borawski, EA (2006). Weight preoccupation as a function of observed physical attractiveness: Ethnic differences among normal-weight adolescent females. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 31(8): 803-812.

Liese AD, Hirsch T, von Mutius E, Weiland SK. Burden of overweight in Germany: prevalence differences between former East and West German children. Eur J Public Health 2006; 16:526-531.

Liese AD (Chair of Writing Group) The Burden of Diabetes Among Youth in the United States: Prevalence Estimates from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. Pediatrics 2006; 118:1510-8.

McKeown RE, Cuffe SP, Schulz RM. U.S. Suicide Rates by Age Group, 1970-2002: An Examination of Recent Trends. American Journal of Public Health. 2006; 96(10):1744-1751.

Lawrence JM, Standiford DA, Loots B, Klingensmith GJ, Williams DE, Ruggiero A, Liese AD, Bell RA, Waitzfelder BE, McKeown RE, for the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. Prevalence and Correlates of Depressed Mood among Youth with Diabetes. Pediatrics. 2006; 117:1348-1398.

Liu, J., U. Larsen, and G. Wyshak. 2005. Prevalence of Primary Infertility in China: In-depth Analyses of Infertility Differentials in Three Province/Autonomous Regions. Journal of Biosocial Science, 37, 55-74.

Ievers-Landis, CE, Burant, B, Drotar, D, Morgan, L, Trapl, ES, Colabianchi, N, & Kwoh, CK (2005) A randomized controlled trial for the primary prevention of osteoporosis among preadolescent Girl Scouts: One-year outcomes of a behavioral program. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 30(2):155-165.

Borawski EA, Trapl ES, Lovegreen LD, Colabianchi N, Block T. (2005). Effectiveness of abstinence-only intervention in middle school teens. American Journal of Health Behavior. 29(5): 423-434.

Trapl, ES, Borawski, EA, Stork, PP, Lovegreen, LD, Colabianchi, N, Cole, ML, Charvat, JM (2005). Use of audio-enhanced personal digital assistants for school-based data collection. Journal of Adolescent Health. 37(4): 296-305.